Kamis, 17 Januari 2013

THOUSANDS APPLY FOR JOBS

Thousands of people besieged the office of the Daily Graphic ) to submit their job application forms following an advertisement placed in the paper on January 3, 2012.

While the newspaper did not advertise the name of the organisation, some of the applicants said it was being placed by the Customs Exercise and Preventive Service (CEPS).

The advertisement further categorised the job into five which included senior and junior officer’s positions.

The senior officer’s position includes operation officers, chemical and metallurgical engineers, laboratory officers and technicians whilst the junior officer’s position included operations and communications officers.

Applicants are however, required to go through a screening examination as part of the recruitment process which would be conducted by a body external to the organisation.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, an applicant, Mr Fred Nanor, who just completed his national service expressed optimism that his application would pull through.

“If they are to go by the requirements, then am sure to be part of the recruitment process and also get a job,” he said.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity, a source at the Ghana Revenue Authority confirmed the placement of the advert was indeed from CEPS, a subsidiary of the Ghana Revenue Authority.

The source said the name of the organisations was not made known to the general public because it wanted to undertake a free and fair recruitment process without any interference.

“We did not want to have the pressure of recruiting people put of favouritism. We want a fair recruitment and anyone who fits the job description is sure to the recruited,” the source explained.

However, some of the applicants were reluctant that they would be recruited because of the organisations nature as state owned.

“These state institutions can’t be trusted. Maybe they are placing the advert just to get the attention but they have actually selected the people they are going to recruit already,” an applicant said.
 

NPP HAS NO PROOF- Olabode Wiilams

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman of the Ayawaso East Constituency, Alhaji Olabode Williams, has urged members of the party to not be afraid of ongoing court proceedings because the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had no evidence to present to the Supreme Court.

He said the NPP was playing election gimmicks and lying to their electorates in order to seek sympathy for their flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo who lose the elections by a wide margin.

“They are doing all these in order for him to stand as flagbearer of the part for the third time but their own constitution does not allow it,” he added.

Alhaji Williams made these remarks during the launch of Youth for Mac Naza in Accra yesterday intended to mobilize the youth to support the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Mr Nasser Mahama Toure.

The occasion was also used to thank the constituents for their continuous support and loyalty to the party over the years adding that the President, John Damani Mahama to fulfil on the promises made to them.

Alhaji Willams further stated that even Wenchi, one of the strong holds of the NPP, the party loss massively in the Presidential elections which was a signal that the NPP was no longer the party for Ghanaians.

He said the NDC was in power to make changes in the lives of Ghanaians adding that the party was going to be in power for more than a term.

He, therefore, called on party supporters to continue to remain calm in the heat of the court proceedings whilst as continue to support the party at all times.

$119 JAPANESE GRANT FOR ASEREWADI SCHOOL PROJECT

THE government of Japan has made available a grant of $118,891 to Source Trust Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), for the construction of facilities for the Aserewadi Primary School in the Waasa Amenfi East District in the Western Region.

The project, which will be executed in collaboration with Meiji Company Limited, a chocolate confectionary company in Japan, entails the construction of a six-unit classroom block with staff offices and a two-unit urinal.

The classroom block is estimated to accommodate 200 pupils, with appropriate academic facilities, upon completion.

The school currently has an old dilapidated three-unit structure which is partitioned with wooden panels to serve seven classes, including a kindergarten.

This, therefore, hinders class activities as neighbouring classes are heard loudly from one another over the wooden partitions.

Apart from the deteriorating structure, the overcrowded condition of the school has also discouraged many children from pursuing their basic education within the community.

Addressing the media at a ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Naoto Nikai, said the grant was sourced from the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGHSP) Scheme that assists grassroot level development projects.

“It is a small-scale assistance for basic needs for human security purposes from the people of Japan to communities in Ghana,” he explained.

He said providing better educational facilities would help improve enrolment figures in the school and raise the standard of education.

 “It will give the pupils the needed foundation towards better community development,” he said.

Mr Nikai also urged other stakeholders to put in efforts that would ensure the success of the project.

The Director of Source Trust Ghana, Mr Vince McAleer, lauded the support of the people of Japan towards the development of the school.

He said the project would further enhance the relationship between Ghana and Japan.

In his remarks, a representative from the Meiji Company Limited, Mr Yoshinori Doi, said the organisation would provide support for the purchase of furniture for the school.

Senin, 14 Januari 2013

GHANSU MEMBERS DONATE BLOOD

The Founder of the Club donating blood.

Three hundred members of the Ghana National Supporters Union (GHANSU)  on Saturday donated blood to the  Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Blood Bank.

 The move formed part of the union’s corporate social responsibility to save lives and also help in social development.

Members of the union from Aburi, Suhum, Tema and the Accra, as well as members of the Winners Chapel, Ghana, took part in the blood donation exercise.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the President and Founder of GHANSU, Mr Abraham Boakye, expressed satisfaction with the high turn out of the supporters.

“The number of people who have donated alone shows the commitment of members towards national development,” he said.

He said the exercise was in response to media reports about the shortage of blood at the Blood Bank, adding that there was the urgent need for Ghanaians to join in the national emergency exercise to save lives.
 “It’s a selfless act that allows you to help others in an unforgettable way,” he said.

The Head of the medical team from the Accra Area Blood Centre of the Korle-Bu, Alhaji Gambo Iddris Wangabi, lauded the initiative of the union to donate blood to save lives.

He said even though a number of organisations had responded to the call of the hospital to donate blood, the hospital was still in a crisis situation.

“Some of the blood received is shared among other government and private hospitals in the country so we are always short of blood,” he said.

He, therefore, called on organisations and individuals to lend support to the hospital in order to save lives.
Shortage of blood at the Korle-Bu Blood Bank has compelled the management to roll out an emergency programme to get more blood for patients in and outside the hospital.

Under the programme, the hospital appealed to churches, organisations, schools, companies and individuals to donate blood to the bank, which is struggling to cope with the daily blood requirement.

Currently, the Blood Bank needs an average of 100 units (pints) of blood daily to satisfy the needs of patients of the hospital and those of major private healthcare facilities.




VODAFONE SUPPORTS AUTISIM CENTRE

Vodafone Ghana Limited today (Friday) presented items worth GHC 5000 to the Autism Center to support continued care for the children at the Centre.

The donation was in fulfilment to a promise made by the company to donate GH1 for every 'Like' they received on their facebook page to the center.

The items donated included assorted children's toys and educational materials that would help and support the intellectual growth of the children.

Autism is a neurological disorder which leaves people unable to make sense of the world around them and can cause them considerable anxiety.

In particular, understanding and relating to ther people, and taking part in everyday family and social life may be harder for them.

Globally, the disorder affects one in 88 children and is said to be the fastest growing epidermic as more children are diagnosed with autisim than cancer and HIV/AIDS combined.

The condition is further explained to occur as a result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on the normal brain function , affecting the development of the persons communication  and social interraction skills.

Addressing the gathering at a ceremony in Accra, the Head of Corporate Communications of Vodafone, Carmen Bruce-Annan,said the children needed love and support to grow and contribute their quota to the society.

“We all agree that these young children need undertsanding, love and support to fully realise their potential, irrespective of their condition,”she said.

She expressed optimism that the donation would provide immeasurable learning opportunities for the children and prepare them for the future.

She also lauded the efforts of their facebook fans for responsing to the campaign and further pledging their support  to the kids.

Mrs Bruce- Annan,however, pledged the organisations committment to its brand promise of empowering individuals, groups nd communities in the health sector throughout the country.

People with autisim are said to have  issues  with non-verbal communicatioin, a wide range of social interractions, and activites that include an element of play and or banter.

The Founder of the Autisim Center, Mrs Serwah Quainoh in her remarks thanks the organisation for their support.

She said it was important that children with autism were given special care and attention in order to help them develop.

She therefore advised parents with such conditions to not lose hope but rather seek professional advice and be part of the training process of their children.

“ Accept the children and understand them instead of giving them the ‘dirty’ looks,” she said.


Selasa, 08 Januari 2013

NPP SUPPORTERS BESEIGE KUFUOR'S RESIDENCE

A number of supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) massed up at the residence of former President John Agyekum Kufuor yesterday morning to impress on him not to honour the invitation to attend the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama.

The supporters, some of whom had slept overnight outside the former President’s Airport residence in Accra, claimed that the decision of the former President to attend the swearing in ceremony was a betrayal of the party’s cause to seek justice in respect of the declaration of President Mahama as winner of the December 7 presidential election.

To give more meaning to their pleas, some of the supporters resorted to crying and wailing outside former President Kufuor’s residence.

The NPP has petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the results of the presidential election which they claim was rigged in favour of President Mahama.

Yesterday was the second time the youth of the party had massed up at the residence of the former President, who won presidential elections on the ticket of the NPP in 2000 and 2004.

Last Thursday, an NPP youth group, the Young Patriots, during their protest, referred to the party’s National Council meeting which had “directed that the party shall boycott the planned January 7 inauguration of President Mahama and Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur as the President and the Vice-President of the Republic, respectively”.

Later, the Young Patriots withdrew the earlier threat to protest against former President Kufuor over his decision to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Yesterday’s protest saw some of the youth carrying bottles of Schnapps, ostensibly to invoke the spirits of their ancestors on the former President. However, those people were advised by some of the protesters to refrain from that action.

At exactly 8.45 a.m., a slow-moving convoy of vehicles moved out of the residence of former President Kufuor without resistance towards the Independence Square where the ceremony took place.

The professionalism of the police was on display, as they coerced and, in some cases, carried some of the protesters who lay supine on the road to prevent the former President from leaving his residence.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the National Organiser of the Patriotic Volunteers, Mr Ebow Bansah, said it was unfair and a betrayal of the NPP’s cause for the former President to attend the inaugural ceremony.

He said for the sake of unity in the NPP, the former President should have listened to the pleas of the supporters not to attend the ceremony.

“Yes, he is a statesman, an ex-President for that matter, as well as a symbol of authority for the nation, but the interest of the party should have come first,” he said.

He cautioned National Democratic Congress (NDC) propagandists not to misconstrue the attendance of ex-President Kufuor as an endorsement of President Mahama.

The Youth Organiser of the NPP in the Ashaiman Constituency, Mr Baba Alhassan, in his remarks, told the Daily Graphic that the party was built with the effort of the grass-root supporters who had worked hard over the years to promote its messages.

“This is gross disrespect to us and a disappointment to the entire party supporters who have joined the party because of its principles and objectives,” he said.

"PUT DIFFERENCES ASIDE AND FIGHT POVERTY, IGNORNACE'


THE President of the National House of Chiefs, Naa Professor John Nabila, has called on the people of the north to put aside their differences and fight poverty, ignorance and conflict in the region.

 “This is not the time for you to raise issues of conflict but to rather work together in unity for the development of the north,” he added.

He was speaking at a national durbar of northern youth in Accra last Sunday.

The durbar, organised by the Gonjaland Youth Association (GYA), brought together chiefs, clan heads, youth groups, and youth chiefs from all the three northern regions in the country.

The event was intended to discuss development issues confronting the north and also celebrate the election of President John Dramani Mahama.

Professor Nabila said it was important that the President channelled his resources into the development of the country rather than rushing to the north to settle disputes.

In attendance were the National Chief Imam, Shiekh Dr Osumanu Nuhu Sharubutu; the Chairman of Zongo Chiefs, Alhaji Moro Baba Issa and the Deputy Majority leader, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, among others.

Tradition was put on display as the people danced and sang traditional songs to share their joy on the election of a northerner as president of the country.

Most of them were dressed in traditional costumes, while others  wore various political party colours.

Professor Nabila further urged them to see President Mahama as a symbol of unity, adding that it was time for the people in the northern regions to show that they were honest and good people.

The National Chairman of the Gonjaland Youth Association, Dr Edward A Haruna, in his address, said it was time for the people of the north to see themselves as one people, irrespective of tribal, religious or political affiliations.

He said it was also time for them to encourage themselves to fully accept education as the only tool in reducing poverty, ignorance and conflict in the north.

“A time has come for us to convince the world that we are no longer the source of conflict and wars, but we can only do this by learning to use the appropriate channel in addressing our disagreements instead of resorting to the use of arms,” he added.

Dr Haruna urged the youth to continue to be law abiding, adding that government should not renege on the promises made to the people of the Ghana and the northern region in particular.

 Mr Rashid Pelpuo, in his remarks, urged the people of the three northern regions to patch up their differences in order to ensure peace in the north.

He said the northern regions had in the last four years  experienced some developmental changes and it was important that those changes continued to prevail in the north in peace and unity.

YEAR GROUP PLEDGES SMART BOARD FOR ALMA MATA

THE 1994 year group of the Ridge Church School have pledged to donate a Smart Board to the school to aid teaching and learning.

This forms part of the 2013 project of the group to complement the teaching and learning efforts of both the teachers and the students of the school.

The President of the group, Mr Eugene Nelson-Addy, made this known at the inauguration of the group in Accra yesterday.

The ceremony, which brought together the old students and the staff of the school, was also used to raise funds to support other projects in the school.

Mr Nelson-Addy explained that the Smart Board was a digital white board which was touch sensitive and runs off local computer system resources.

He said the board was interactive and could save and store any information that was written on it and enable the user to refer to notes downloaded from the internet or other sources.

“This will help in the effective teaching and learning in the school and also make the school one of the best in Ghana and in West Africa,” he said.

However, he said, though members of the year group had intended to finance the acquisition of the board, donations from individuals, organisations and other alumni  of the school were welcome.

“No amount is too small or too little. Let us all work hard and donate as much as we can to support our alma mater,” he said.

Mr Nelson-Addy , further thanked the staff of the school for their undaunted  support  towards their education during their time in the school.

The First Vice President of the International Criminal Court of Justice, Judge Akua Kuenyehia, who was the guest of honour, lauded the efforts of the students to support the school.

She said it was important that students gave back to their various institutions in order to make life better for future generations to come.

“The school, church and the government, can do much but whether the school becomes a centre of excellence depends on you,” she said.

Justice Kuenyehia who is also the former Chairperson of the Parents Teacher Association (PTA)  of the school called on other year groups of the school to support the school.

The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Afua Dake, in her remarks, urged the group to serve as a human resource capital and mentors to the school.

Rabu, 02 Januari 2013

DISASTERS AND ACCIDENTS HIT ACCRA ON NEW YEARS DAY.

21 persons narrowly escaped death when an over speeding 207 bus skid off the road into an open drain near Mallam in Accra.

The car with registration number ER 554V was reported to be heading to Kasoa from Dansoman when it had a break failure.

Eye witnesses told the Daily Graphic that the driver was then forced to gear of the road in order to prevent him from colliding into other vehicles in front of him.

The car then somersaulted in this attempt into an open drain with the passengers sustaining various degrees of injuries.

At the time the Daily Graphic got to the scene, most of the passengers had been removed from the vehicle whilst the driver was nowhere to be found.

Hawkers and pedestrians had also gathered at the scene to witness the miracle of survival from the accident.

The Odorkor Motor Transport Transit Unit (MTTU ) Police, Sergeant Mornoh who was at the scene, told the Daily Graphic that the vehicle would be towed  to the police station.

He said an investigation would also be conducted to find the owner of the vehicle since the driver was nowhere to be found.

Officials of the National Disaster Management Organization were also at the scene to prevent further causalities.

NDC SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE MAHAMA'S VICTORY



A jam was held on the Osu Oxford Street to celebrate the victory of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the just ended December 2012 polls.

The event dubbed: “John Mahama for the Youth Street Carnival,” was organised by pro-Mahama groups including, “Movement for Mahama,” “Youth for Mahama,” Zongo for Mahama,” “Ladies for Mahama,” “Vision for Mahama” and “GH for Mahama.”

It was intended to congratulate Ghanaians and President John Dramani Mahama for winning the 2012 elections.
This was the first time all the key supporting groups had gathered under one umbrella to finally express their appreciation to Ghanaians for their support.
Music, food and dance liven up the streets with thousands of party supporters clad in party colours and paraphernalia’s, twist and wriggled with dexterity to party songs and slogans.

Some local dance ensembles also pitched camped on the sidelines of the jamboree, treating patrons who occasionally danced to the tunes.

Others also took the opportunity to sell their wares including calendars which depicted a boxing match between the NDC and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) of which the party appeared victorious.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, some of the celebrants expressed their excitement over the party’s victory adding that it was a divine intervention and a good choice for the country as a whole.

They also lauded the executives of the party for their efforts in ensuring peaceful elections as well as keeping calm to violent reactions by the opposition NPP which they alleged was intended to bring chaos in the country.

A celebrant who gave his name as Mr Philp Nartey told the Daily Graphic that it was time the top hierarchy of the party settled their differences and support each other for the greater good of the party and the nation as a whole.

He also called on the executives of the NPP to resolve their election differences in the court of law in order to maintain the peace the country had enjoyed over the years.

The event which travelled through the night saw celebrants being entertained with music from artists such as Sarkodie, D-Black, EL, Becca, R2bees, Kwaw Kesse, D Cryme and Guru.

Others included Eazzy, Samini, Dr Slim, Double, Micheal Adangba among others. They were also entertained by some “azonto” and high-life music dancing competitions.